What an unforgettable 48 hours it has been! Our quick trip to surprise Mana and Papa on their mission turned out to be everything we hoped for and so much more. They are the ones who raised this amazing family so many have come to know and love and everything great about any of us is entirely because of them. Because of their tireless efforts to impress on us the importance of family we have grown up loving to make memories together and sharing in life’s most precious moments together as a family. They are the ones who taught us all how to Bingham.
Saying goodbye was emotional but not too difficult because they are coming home in just a couple of days. After saying our goodbyes the Bingham kids headed to Chicago for a super quick site seeing tour before jumping on separate planes and flying to our own different destinations.
There is a good chance this is the last time our family will be together in this way ever again. Just the seven of us like it was growing up. We all have different lives now, families of our own, and various obligations pulling at our time and clogging up our schedules. The fact that the seven of us still enjoy each other’s company so immensely at this stage in life is a miracle. And the fact that when we’re all together it still feels like hanging out with my closest friends is a blessing I don’t want to take for granted.
It has always been my life’s goal to have a family like the one I was raised in. I want to be the kind of parent my parents were to me. I want to be the spouse my parents were and are to each other. I want my kids to feel like the center of our universe. I want them to know we love them unconditionally. I want them to think of each other as so much more than brother and sister but also closest friends who would do anything for each other.
As I was riding the family high coming home from this whirlwind 48 hour epic adventure I returned home to my own family. Hugged my amazing wife who had held down the fort the last few days and waited up anxiously for my arrival. Kissed my sleeping children on the forehead and gave them a squeeze that could have lasted all night. Then went to my bed and found a picture of my teenage son from when he was a child sitting on my phone charger to greet me before going to sleep. This is something Ryler has done for years. It’s a symbolic “goodnight” on the nights we’re not able to say it to each other in person. He purposely places it on the charger to make sure I see it. I picked up the picture, held it in my hand, reflected on the time I had just spent with my own parents then pondered on how fast time has flown being a parent myself. It’s a lot to take in and this life moves so fast. I just kept thinking about how important it is to make the most of every minute and never miss a chance to let someone know how much you love and care about them. It was the perfect finish to the perfect weekend for this perfectly imperfect family of mine.
